“We are calling for genuine change. We cannot accept that minorities and indigenous peoples are the most vulnerable members of our societies and that they remain excluded from decision-making that affects their lives and the future of our countries.”

Thus begins the Chiapas Declaration, adopted by consensus by the participants in the International Parliamentary Conference on Parliaments, minorities and indigenous peoples. The Declaration urges all parliaments to hold a special debate on the issue and adopt a Plan of Action to make the right to equal participation and non-discrimination a reality for minorities and indigenous peoples. It also asks the IPU to monitor implementation of the Declaration, and to convene a meeting two years from now to review progress.

The conference was organized jointly by the Inter-Parliamentary Union, the Mexican Congress of the Union and the Government of the State of Chiapas, in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme; the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights; the United Nations Independent Expert on minority issues; and the Minority Rights Group International.